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This Is Me--2019 A to Z Theme

The Challenge of 2019 was the 10th! Since this was kind of a milestone year for A to Z my theme was a retrospective of sorts, looking at my 10 years as a blogger as well as ruminations about my life as it is and as I hope it yet can be. I've got places to be and people to see along the way. Hope you'll join me for this part of my journey...

Always a work in progress--welcome to my blog.

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Friday, February 1, 2019

The House I Live In (#BOTB)

“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”—Coretta Scott King

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”—Langston Hughes

These quotes state truths that more people in our time need to hear and think about. At times I get so cynical about the way things are, but that is likely because we get bombarded every day with negativity and dishonesty.

In honor of Black History month I offer for my Battle of the Bands two notable black male vocalists with their renditions of a song first made popular by Frank Sinatra...

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

The House I Live In

To some these days this song might sound rather mushy and maudlin, but it does express a sense of tradition and love for country of which many might approve. Though the song first appeared in a stage musical review in 1942, it was embraced by the public in 1945 when it was used as the centerpiece of the opposition to anti-Semiticism film The House I Live In.

Ironically the music was written by Earl Robinson, a member of the Communist party who was blacklisted during the McCarthy hearings, with lyrics by Abel Meeropol, a liberal activist who had also at one time been a member of the Communist party.

I'm sure this music won't be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe if you don't care for it you can chill a bit and pretend it's a big glass of ice cold sweet tea on a sweltering hot summer day. If you'd like to hear how Sinatra did the song you can go here or this link will take you to the entire Oscar winning short film it came from (it's only about 10 minutes long, but it carries a worthy message). Please don't vote on this version--save your vote for one of the two artists featured below....

Paul Robeson "The House I Live In" (1947)

Sam Cooke "The House I Live In" (1960)

Time to Vote!Let's join together and vote! What's your favorite between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS''Curious as a Cathy'Sound of One Hand TypingAngel's Bark Debbie Doglady's DenJingle, Jangle, JungleCherdo on the FlipsideA I Love MusicWinner of this Battle Announced on Friday February 8th Next Wednesday I'll have an Insecure Writer's Support Group post so I do hope you'll drop in before then. But definitely come back to see if your favorite song version came out with the most votes. I think I can predict this outcome pretty easily, but we've all been surprised by these Battle outcomes in the past. We'll see! Do you think the USA has changed for the better or worse since World War 2? What do you think is better? What do you think is worse?

I love Paul Robeson and am waiting for Hollywood to make a film about him one day. I love his singing with that deep baritone but for this song, I prefer Sam Cooke. it was easier to understand Cooke's singing with the way the music went than with Robeson's rendition. I love those quotes and they are so true. I do think that it has gotten worse and i would add Canada to that mix. Of course, there are some things that are better, more advances in fight to eradicate disease but I believe people have become....dumber to be blunt. Not much is taught in schools about history so the average kid knows little about WW2 never mind before. We grew up with this basic knowledge and we had more patience. It is has actually been found that, back in the 1980's, the average attention span was 9 minutes, now it is 9 seconds. I believe the IPad, facebook, Instagram etc... has all contributed to this. I think kids are not taught independence and are given too much. We live in an entitlement era right now. The increase in racism we hear right now has always been there but it is now more widely shown. I think greed is also on the rise...greed for more money, power, things etc...I also wish for the time of Murrow, Cronkite, Severeid...etc because they just reported the news, it was not sensationalized like it is now. The film, "Network" seems to have shown what we have now. Gone are the days of the variety show-the vaudeville of TV...it has been replaced by reality shows which suck the brains out of people, like The bachelor, Fear Factor, Big Brother and those kardashiasses. There is my lengthy spiel:)

Birgit, I agree that over all people have become dumber. We've got too many things we don't have to think about much anymore and too many things that aren't worth thinking about that much consuming our thoughts anyway. Technologically has dumbed us down a great bit.

Very easy choice for me, Lee: SAM COOKE. I don't usually care much for that "operatic" style of singing Paul Robeson (who was also a Communist, by the way) engaged in.

>>... “Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”

That quote made me think of [Link> THIS SIGN which I found posted in a Carson City window recently.

>>... Ironically the music was written by Earl Robinson, a member of the Communist party who was blacklisted during the McCarthy hearings

Nope. I guess at this point, I might as well give up all hope that a majority of Americans will ever truly understand what happened during the so-called "Red Scare" or "Witch-Hunts".

But in a nutshell, the McCarthy hearings, which took place in the Senate, were exclusively centered on ferreting out Communists in our government / military. It was not concerned with entertainers such as actors, screenwriters, songwriters and singers, etc. Americans always want to lump the whole thing together and blame it all on Senator McCarthy and his hearings, and that only further maligns and slanders the name of Joe McCarthy. (Exodus 20:16)

STMcC, hating can consume who we are and take us far off course from who we would like to become.

Seems like we mostly hear about the folks in arts and entertainment when it comes to the "Commie purge" of the fifties. But that's probably the community that talked most about it and the folks the public wanted to hear about. More marshmallow martyrs for the consumption of the masses.

I cast a very strong vote for Paul Robeson. He had a great voice, and I have several of his albums. Cooke's version is fine... but Robeson is superb.

But I am also throwing in points to Robeson for irony. With the overwhelmingly positive lyrics about America that he sings, I frankly don't know how he managed to get them out. You know the history. He is thought of these days with great fondness by the left for his (quite proper) complaints about mistreatment of blacks. But as always, they forget about the negative. His views were simply wacko about a lot of stuff. He loved and praised Stalin, and that is AFTER he went to Russia and learned firsthand that a friend was put to death by the Communists and that the friend talking to him would be killed soon himself. He kept that meeting secret and continued to praise the Soviets and knock America. Sheesh.

Interestingly, I think the lyrics of Robeson's version differ from those of Cooke and Sinatra. They are MORE patriotic, mentioning Jefferson, Paine, and Lincoln.

6-Gun, thank you for saving me from that dreaded shut-out which I figured where this was heading. I knew that Sam Cooke had the edge here, but I'd watched that Sinatra short film recently and felt that the present political/social climate needed to hear the message again.

Thanks for the insight provided. It is weird how some people start thinking and especially after they gain fame and fortune.

I enjoyed both versions. I almost went with Sam Cooke. I love his easy on the ears sound but honestly I felt Paul Robeson's version is more geniune sounding and I give Paul.

I think for a time things got better after WWII but in the past 30-years things have gotten drastically worse. Liberties that were fought for in the 60s is reversing with hatred burning stronger than ever. People have lost their moral compass and replaced common sense with arrogance and stupidity. Our world is heading down a very destructive path. I pray that the next generartion sees the error of their parents moving toward a better future.

I vote for Sam Cooke. I agree with Cathy that the Paul Robeson is probably more authentic but personally I like the softer tones of Cooke. I also prefer the pitch and variations in the melody and the orchestra.

Oh no! This is a hard one for me to choose between. They are both so good in their own ways. I love both their voices, but I guess I'll have to go with Sam Cooke, because even though I know of Paul Robeson and admire him, I absolutely ADORE Sam Cooke. I keep waiting for them to make a movie about his life...so Sam Cooke it is. I really liked the quotes. Thank you for them.

Paul Robeson is one of my heroes, and I love how much soul he puts into the song, but I ended up slightly preferring the Sam Cooke version. His vocals are smoother, making the song feel more emotional.

Some things have changed for the better since WWII (such as scientific and medical breakthroughs), while others have become worse (like SJWs in the Woke Stasi). There's always a trade-off.

I absolutely love Paul Robeson and listening to his version of this song was a treat. There's not enough Paul Robeson songs playing on any given day. He really was a fantastic talent.

But you put that great artists up against Sam Cooke and even I caved and gave Sam my vote. Lordy, that smmoth, soulful voice...so awesome and heartfelt. Love it.

As for America post - WW II...I know that there's a slew of positive things that have happened, but I yearn for the old days. I hate that I said that...it makes me sound like your old granny...but, there ya go.

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

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A juggler of words and phrases. My main blog is Tossing It Out. The focus blog for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge can now be found at a-to-zchallenge.com where updates will be posted until the event in April begins.
Wrote By Rote is about memoir writing.
A Few Words is my Sunday contemplation blog.
A Faraway View is about dreams. Pick what you like or look at them all. I love blogging!